The present invention relates to the field of needle therapy, in particular to an acupuncture device with an improved needle guide tube.
Acupuncture guide tubes are widely used in the practice of acupuncture to minimize discomfort during needle insertion. The guide tube allows quick insertion of an acupuncture needle through the epidermis. An example of a guide tube is the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,171 issued in 1998 to Burdenko, et al. Fast puncturing of the patient""s skin is important for pain-free insertion. There is typically 3-5 mm clearance between the upper end of the guide tube and the top of the handle of an acupuncture needle, which protrudes above the tube. The practitioner taps on the handle of the needle downward with his/her index finger while supporting the tube with the other hand. The needle, which has been resting on the surface of the patient""s skin prior to insertion, is now inserted 3-5 mm through the skin into the acupuncture point. The guide tube has a diameter, which is bigger than the diameter of the handle of the acupuncture needle. This allows the removal of the guide tube after the insertion. On one hand, the relatively big diameter of the tube, in comparison with the shaft of the needle, provides more comfort for the patient by creating mild pressure around the acupuncture point and by providing firmness to the skin around that point. This feature is important for fast, pain-free insertion. On the other hand, the relatively big diameter of the tube compromises the precision of the insertion. This is because the tip of the needle is rarely in the center of the bottom opening of the tube prior to insertion, but at the sides, leaning against the inside tubular wall. The needle then tends to take diagonal orientation in respect to the tubular longitudinal axis. The tip of the needle, which rests on the skin, is at the bottom tubular wall opposite to the handle.
The practitioner is often unaware about an exact position of the needle. Hence, the angle at which the needle is inserted into the point is unpredictable. Furthermore, when the practitioner attempts to insert a needle at sharp angles, such as on the face or head of the patient, the acupuncture needle tends to slide downward, out of the guide tube. When the needle is inserted at a sharp angle to the surface of the skin, a very little clearance is left between the upper portion of the tube and the handle of the needle. This makes the regular insertion technique very uncomfortable, if not impossible. Also, the clearance is too small for full penetration of the tip of the needle through the epidermis. As a result, the patient may feel more pain than is necessary.
There are two reasons that contribute to the reduction of this clearance on top. One reason has to do with the thickness of the tubular wall. The acupuncture needle has to go a little forward and downward, over the small threshold formed by the bottom edge of the guide tube, to touch the skin. The other reason has to do with the fact that in the inclined position (angular insertion), both the tip of the needle and the handle of the needle are now against the same tubular wall. This contributes to the additional xe2x80x9cslip outxe2x80x9d of the needle at the skin. It would be better, if the handle of the needle stayed at the opposite wall (diagonally), thus shortening the distance that the needle has to travel to reach the skin. But it is often hard to maintain this position of the handle during angular insertions because of the pressing of the handle of the needle against upper wall with index finger: there is not enough space between the handle and the skin. Sometimes, acupuncture insertions have to be performed against gravity. Needling of the points at the cervical spine with the patient in a sitting position is just one example of this. The acupuncture needle tends to slide out of the guide tube during such insertions, and regular insertion technique becomes impossible.
An attempt to solve the problem of the prior art was made in an acupuncture device with an improved guide tube described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,584 issued on May 15, 2001 to the same applicant. This acupuncture device consists of an acupuncture needle and a guide tube having a longitudinal slot or notch at the upper end of the tube, which is wider than the diameter of the needle handle. A practitioner can easily secure the upper portion of the handle in this notch by pressing on the handle of the needle with an index finger. In the case of angular insertions, the practitioner can maintain a desirable diagonal position of the needle inside the guide tube. The acupuncture operation is facilitated by making a larger portion of the needle handle projecting from the guide tube through the notch. According to another embodiment, the device is provided with a sleeve of a C-shaped configuration, which is fit onto the upper end of the guide tube. When the open part of the C-shaped configuration does not coincide with the aforementioned notch, and the handle of the needle stays inside the guiding tube, the whole device can be used in a conventional fashion. When the open part of the C-shaped configuration coincides with the aforementioned notch, the needle handle can be pushed through the notch, and when the sleeve is turned so that the groove is overlapped, the needle handle will be deflected and fixed between the lower edge of the sleeve and the bottom of the notch.
In spite of advantages, such as oblique insertion and insertion against gravity, the acupuncture device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,584 possesses some drawbacks. First, a provision of the C-shaped sleeve makes construction of the device more complicated. Second, C-sleeve requires tedious manipulations. Third, the acupuncture needle stays loose inside the guide tube during storage, and should be secured inside the guide tube by additional manipulation after removal from the package. Fourth, the needle has a diagonal position inside the guide tube, which some acupuncturists find inconvenient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an acupuncture device with an improved needle guide tube which is free of the C-shaped sleeve, simple in construction, simple and convenient in manipulation, has a needle which is firmly secured inside the guide tube during storage and remains secured in the tube without additional manipulations after removal from the package, and is pressed against the inner wall of the tube and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the guide tube. A further object is to provide an acupuncture device with a needle stopper which secures the needle inside the guide tube and can be easily removed after completion of the acupuncture procedure. Another object is to provide a method of securing an acupuncture needle inside the guide tube for reliable fixation of the needle inside the guide tube during storage and after unpacking prior to use.